Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site ihlpg.UUCP Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ihlpg!tan From: tan@ihlpg.UUCP (Bill Tanenbaum) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion.jewish,net.nlang.africa Subject: Re: Apartheid on the West Bank Message-ID: <1448@ihlpg.UUCP> Date: Tue, 19-Nov-85 02:08:11 EST Article-I.D.: ihlpg.1448 Posted: Tue Nov 19 02:08:11 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 19-Nov-85 20:48:33 EST References: <4188@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <360@ubvax.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 61 Xref: lsuc net.politics:2042 net.religion.jewish:1567 net.nlang.africa:140 > [Tony Wuersch] > If we look at this system as a general type applicable to other > societies and situations than South Africa, an area at this time > of history which fits it like a glove is the West Bank. The only > difference is that some Arabs have Israeli citizenship, whereas > no Blacks have South African citizenship. ----- Baloney. Arabs living in Israel proper have Israeli citizenship. Israel has not taken areas with large Arab populations (i.e. Galilee) and excluded them from Israel. The only areas excluded are the West Bank and Gaza, which never were part of modern Israel. If Israel were to annex more land there, as it did Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, the Arabs and the U. N. would scream bloody murder. If Israel does not annex the land, they scream discrimination. You can't win. ----- > But the policy in Israel to keep the number of voting Jews much higher > than the number of voting non-Jews is in part so that the Arabs voting > in Israel can have no democratic influence on the policy in the West Bank. ----- More baloney. It IS policy in Israel to encourage Jews to emigrate to Israel, but it is NOT policy to encourage Arabs to leave. As a matter of fact, the Arab population of Israel has been growing rapidly due to a very high birth rate. ----- > If in South Africa, some blacks were allowed to vote as black > "representatives", say (which is what Israeli Arabs must be now -- > representatives for all the Arabs under Israeli government), such > that they could never vote with more power than whites, this would > deserve a judgment of irrelevance as far as the system of apartheid > was concerned, since it couldn't abolish or reform it. The whites > would just form an anti-black bloc and vote any reform down. ----- I don't understand what you mean. Are you saying that you WANT Israel to formally annex the West Bank and Gaza and thereby give all Arabs the vote? ----- > The same logic applies to Arabs voting in Israel. That some of them > can vote is irrelevant to West Bank policy. Why else do so many of > them vote Communist? (to be pedantic, they must think their vote > for Labor would have no value at all) > > Israelis see these issues plainly. Leon Wieseltier > in a recent New Republic article talks about settlers on the West Bank > who DO understand that if the West Bank is Eretz Israel, then the > Arabs on the West Bank will have to become voting citizens of Israel. > These settlers see a time in the future when expulsion of the Arab > population might come up as a platform. Meir Kahane's gutter rhetoric > might be new to them, but his policy ideas aren't. ----- At last you say something that makes sense. If Israel annexes the West Bank, it will have to make a devastating choice between democracy and remaining a Jewish state. Either way, it's a disaster for Israel. That's why Peres wants to make the West Bank Arabs Jordanians again. Not a bad solution, if only he can pull it off. The Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza return to Arab rule, Jordan wins, Israel wins. If only Likud sees the light, and if only the Arab world lets King Hussein do it. Two very big ifs, I'm afraid. -- Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL ihnp4!ihlpg!tan